Chondroma of the bronchus

A case of endobronchial chondroma is described and the reports of the three other cases previously published are noted. Chondroma of the bronchus is rare. It has to be distinguished from the cartilage-bearing tumours of other sites in the lung and from the endo-bronchial hamartomata and so-called chondro-adenomata. Details are given of a further case of endobronchial chondroma. CASE HISTORY A man aged 60 years, symptom free and who smoked 10 cigarettes a day, had a routine mass radiograph of the chest. This showed a collapsed left lower lobe. Four months later further radiographs were taken; FIG. 1. The opened upper lobe, showing the chondroma (arrowed) and massive bronchiectasis. these showed no change. Laboratory investigations were negative. Bronchoscopy showed a peduncu-lated pink tumour situated in the wall of the left lower lobe bronchus, 'probably a carcinoma but could be an adenoma'. A biopsy of this showed a papillary nodule covered by squamous epithelium and with a congested fibrous stroma. The lobe was subsequently resected. The tumour blocking the lobar bronchus measured 2 x 1 x 1 cm. and arose by a narrow stalk from the beginning of the posterior bronchus (Figs 1 and 2). Its cut surface showed small solid masses of cartilage. There was bronchi-ectasis of the collapsed lobe from which coagulase-positive staphylococci were grown. Histolog